Peter Greenfield - Urban Gardening: Everything You Need to become a Self Sufficient Urban Gardener and Flourish your own City Apartment Vegetable Garden

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The garden suggests there might be a place where we can meet nature halfway

Michael Pollan

An old adage claims that the grass is greener on the other side. I, however, am of a different opinion. You dont have to travel to any other side to enjoy natures beauty. You can bring the green right to your abode.

Now, you might look around you, taking in the spaces and decor of your apartment or urban home and wonder, can I really grow a garden here? The truth is that creating a green, and often edible, vista in your urban environment does not have to be such a daunting task. Sure, there are challenges in an urban garden that are not present in their rural counterparts. However, it does not mean that things are going to enter the realm of impossibility. There are techniques you can use and methods you can apply.

There has been a great demand for urban gardeningand even urban farming, which is a much larger-scale version of the gardening processin recent years. This might come as a surprise, but according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO), over 800 million people around the world practice urban agriculture (Miigle+, 2019). Thats a surprising number, isnt it? Quite a few people think that those who practice gardening in the cities are a minority crowd, similar to those crowds who believe that we are all part of the Matrix or prefer pineapples on pizzas (hey, no problem with adding pineapples, but the majority of folks do like the classic marinara sauce and cheese combination). The reality, on the other hand, presents a different perspective. Looking at the numbers presented by UNFAO, you might wonder why there is such a rise in urban gardening and farming. There are a number of reasons for this, but two stand out prominently. The first reason is that people are looking for sustainable ways to get more wholesome and natural food without having to rely on rural farms or connections. Even many local farmers markets and grocers rely on urban gardening to grow nearly all of their produce.

The second reason might just be something related to human nature. According to a report published by University College Londons Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geomatic Engineering, there exists a human-nature relationship that has positive effects on our health (Seymour, 2016). For decades, environmentalists, health practitioners, and researchers have been trying to study this relationship, theorizing that perhaps humans are naturally (no pun intended) drawn towards nature because we understand how beneficial it is. Which is why more and more people adorn their homes and indoor spaces with plants and other natural decor.

Regardless of the reasons for the growth in urban gardening, there is no doubt that the practice is seeing a booming popularity. This is especially true in developed countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, the United States, and many others. Gone are the days when an acre of land was required to plant crops, herbs, grains, and other food. In the urban world that we have today, you just need a backyard and you are good to grow your own tomatoes or oregano. I would even go so far as to say that if you have a square foot of space, then you are ready to garden. That might sound like an outrageous claim to make, but let me tell you that urban gardening has metamorphosed into various categories, one of them being Square Foot Gardening.

Thats right. You only need a small space to create your own garden. In fact, the idea of gardening in a small space means that growing food or raising plants is accessible to anyone. People dont have to ponder if they should be taking care of rows and rows of crops. They only need to realize that their balcony can be a potential garden. And if you are wondering if square foot gardening is a new concept well, let me be the first to tell you that the term was coined all the way back in 1981.

Yes, indeed! Urban gardening is a decades-old idea. It just took a while for it to become as popular as it is today. Its so popular that you might have come across rooftops receiving the green treatment or empty spaces converted into beautiful gardens by community members. These are sights that you can come across in many cities around the world.

At that point, you might have wondered; just how long did it take to develop the gardens? What was required to raise the plants? Should you choose a large pot or a small one? Is it necessary to have a raised bed?

Well, worry not. I am going to answer all of your burning questions. You see, I know what its like to truly want to have a garden in your home or a certain space and be clouded with questions. How do I know that?

Im an environmentalist.

Im in my mid-30s right now, and I just love nature and its exquisite offerings. The more I focused on various aspects of my field of interest, the more I began to realize that a lot of our foods and produce carry awful chemicals within them. I understand the need for such chemicals as farming is a rather delicate operation. The smallest pest or disease is capable of ruining an entire field of crops. However, I still wanted to find ways to build a healthier and more sustainable life for myself.

When I first ventured forth into my environmentalist life, my interest instantly piqued by the idea of gardening. I had heard so much about it, most particularly the idea of growing urban greens. Over the next several years, I spent my time experimenting with various gardening techniques across a plethora of spaces. I worked on small patches of land and I even considered my own kitchen space as a challenge. My aim was not just to understand the different components, practices, and ideas of gardening. My aim was to experience it. That way, I can truly and confidently talk about various techniques, tools, and suggestions.